Can you believe it? The Raven celebrates a
full
year writing for us. I'd like to recognize him
for
the great articles that grace our newsletter month
after month. Please visit the forums
and let him know how he's doing!

Please be smart, don't drink and drive!
Enjoy the following recipes in moderation and take a
cab if you need one.

In the beginning, people consumed alcohol by quite
literally eating it, as the bread dough they had
left out had begun to ferment. Shortly there after,
they learned that it could be made much more
palatable and efficiently if they let the yeast run
rampant in a liquid. After drinking weak wines and
beers for a large portion of human history, some
monks discovered that these liquids could be boiled,
the gasses trapped and condensed, and the resulting
liquid consumed for a much, much stronger effect.
Eventually, someone figured out that the bark from
the cork tree could be used to keep the liquids in
bottles, and alcohol became a worldwide economy,
allowing anyone the ability to try any booze they
wanted. For the last 400 or so years, things have
pretty much remained the same. Until now...

In the last few years a product has come on the
market that allows you to consume alcohol in a way
that, at first glance, seems inherently dangerous.
Yes, we can now inhale our favorite drinks, thanks
to the AWOL. (For those who are wondering, AWOL
stands for Alcohol With Out Liquid.) As the acronym
suggests, this device vaporizes alcohol and allows
the user to inhale it through a tube; for those
reading with asthma, you dont have to guess at the
method of administration.

First, a disclaimer; I have not personally tried
this product, nor can I make any assertion as to the
truth about the claims that are made by its maker.
I know nothing about the company itself, and Ive
omitted any links to it on purpose; if youre
interested in obtaining one, Google it. You should
also know that as of publication, at least 18 U.S.
states have banned the device in one way or another,
and Im not sure about our neighbors to the north.

The makers of the device tout its many positives.
Two major benefits accompany nearly all of the
documentation Ive seen. First is that by
vaporizing the alcohol and mixing it with oxygen,
the process of consuming alcohol is much less harsh
and induces a mild euphoria. Many people may have
experienced type of feeling at oxygen bars that are
common at high altitude resorts.

The second claim is that the device almost
completely removes the possibility of a hangover.
It has long been a tradition, that has recently been
backed by some science, that hangovers are caused by
the impurities found in most low proof alcohols.
Most of us have heard that vodka is the least likely
to cause a hangover, which follows that idea. Given
that this is true, it would seem that a night of
inhaling should allow for a much nicer morning than
if the same amount was imbibed.

I mentioned earlier that this device has been
banned in nearly half the states in the U.S. The
major argument seems to be that inhaled alcohol
would hit the blood stream much faster, which seems
logical, and thus would cause people to become more
intoxicated much quicker. The company replies that
the machine has safety mechanisms that prevent too
much alcohol from being consumed at once. Again, I
cant confirm or deny the veracity of either.

On the subject of ingredients, it appears that the
machine is only able to handle straight alcohols.
Through the publicity on the site, Ive noticed that
they are very conspicuous to avoid mentioning mixed
drinks as an option. It is likely that the residue
left behind by most mixers would be harmful to the
machine.

Though this product has been available for use in
Europe for some time, it hasnt really caught on yet
on this side of the pond; a fact that is probably
attributable to the high number of bans that are in
effect before anyone has heard of it. If anyone has
been able to try it, post
your comments on the
boards, Id love to hear it.

About The Raven

J.T. "Raven" Centonze has been a long time student
of the art of alcohol. Initially interested in keeping
conversation at parties, his love for alcohol grew to
an obsession in college. In between his real job of
running a college bookstore or two, he is the part
owner/operator of his own winery. He bartends at
private parties which allows him the innovation of
many new, unique drinks.

Please visit our sponsor for all the latest
supplies for your club, dorm or home!

Pick up the Czech - Wine X Magazine

The small and much misunderstood Czech Republic has
had a difficult history. Sandwiched between Germany,
Austria and Russia, it's been savagely bullied by
its larger, more aggressive neighbors. So what do
the proud Czech people do when faced with their
sorry geo-political lot in life? They drink. A lot.

If you've ever had fascists, czarists, communists,
socialists or hegemonistic monarchists living next
door, you might understand how dealing with such
neighbors builds up a prodigious thirst. This is why
the Czechs produce what are often considered the
most sublime beers in the world. The fact that they
make such superb suds explains why they dramatically
lead the world in per-capita beer consumption. If
you know nothing else about this captivating country
-- the original Bohemian paradise -- you probably
know its hallmark brews: Pilsener Urquell,
Velkopopovicky and Budvar (the original and far
superior Budweiser). You might know that Czech hops
are respected with an almost religious reverence
among beer connoisseurs. But even Czech man does not
live by beer alone.

After all, you can only drink 30 or 40 beers a day
no matter how wealthy or thirsty you are. While beer
may quench the thirst of the body, sometimes
stronger spirits are needed to slake the thirst of
the soul. In this situation, Czechs pick up their
beloved Becherovka herbal liqueur. "Becher" (as it's
known by its admirers), can be found perched in
every bar and in most homes, standing sentinel in
its hallmark green bottle. Czechs imbue it with
almost legendary powers: it's good for digestion,
soothes stomach aches, dulls a hangover and
generally cures whatever ails you. When beset by
challenges to your health or happiness, you could do
much worse than a shot of Becher or a Becherovka and
tonic. Its smooth cinnamon taste goes down
deceptively easy and belies its 76-proof punch. The
secret and mysterious blend of herbs imparts a very
refreshing, almost wholesome taste. It's not as
medicinal tasting as most herbal liqueurs -- just a
soothing shot that makes you want more.

Becherovka traces it roots back to 1807 and a
royally appointed physician summering in Karlovy
Vary ("Karl's Spring," more famously known by its
German name of Carlsbad). Rumor has it the doctor's
friend, the local pharmacist, Josef Becher, was
experiencing some sexual dysfunction. Since it was
millions of years after the discovery of lust but
almost two hundred years before the discovery of
Viagra, they went to work using their knowledge of
locally grown herbs and medicinal plants and local
spring water. It's said that immediately upon
concocting the recipe (that became Becherovka),
Josef Becher closed his pharmacy and began producing
it full time. The company is still run by his heirs
today, so we can only assume that it cured not only
his thirst but also his impotency. The original
secret recipe is still closely guarded, and at any
one time only two people know it.

If you haven't heard of Becherovka yet, you will.
Just as you now know Czech models Paulina Porizkova
and Eva Herzigova, who grace countless magazine
covers, or Dominic "The Dominator" Hasek, who swats
pucks in the NHL, or Dvorak's music or Milan
Kundera's or Ivan Klima's novels or Martina
Navratilova, Petr Korda, Jana Novotna or Ivan Lendl
or the size of Ivana Trump's divorce settlement...
it'll become familiar. Because whether or not you've
enjoyed Czech beer, the country's supermodels, its
capital city, art or athletes, you'll likely be able
to appreciate its favorite liqueur.

This article has been submitted by the great people
over at Wine X
Magazine. Wine-X has agreed to bring
you a new article every month from their
amazing writers. It was written by Scott Stavrou.
If you like living out on the edge
and feel the Gen X isn't well represented in the
world, have a really good look at Wine X magazine.
They've also given us an offer you can't refuse if
you're looking to subscribe: $15 for 6 issues. To
experience the full magazine, Subscribe Here.

Absolut and Level Recipe Bonanza!

Let's start the month of December with a bang!

Here's a collection of Absolut and Level Vodka
recipes brought to you by our Girl of the Year,
Nicole. She's been hunting through the clubs of New
York to find these gems and I must say that once
again she's come through like a star! How's the liver?

On a serious note though, I pass on my sincere
appreciation for the job Nicole has done bringing
fresh new recipes and photos each and every month.
Let's hope her boss gives her a nice Christmas bonus
and a larger expense account so the recipes keep
coming. Thanks Nicole and all at
Ketchum!

THE ABSOLUT CELEBRATION

1 PARTS ABSOLUT RUBY RED

1 PART Champagne

PART Chambord (black raspberry liquor)

Shake over ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Garnish with a raspberry.

THE ABSOLUT RUBY GEM

1 PARTS ABSOLUT RUBY RED

PART Muddled Cranberries

PART Muddled Clementine

1 TBSP Brown Sugar

Splash of Ginger Ale

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain
into a cocktail glass. Top with the splash of ginger
ale.

Our latest Rober Plotkin article explores how much
it costs to constantly change bartenders.
Robert is
the
founder of BarMedia.com

For the past 17 years, Robert Plotkin, has been
working to provide beverage operators with the right
career tools they need to attain success. He has
created the best management systems, tools,
software and books available in the hospitality
industry. His nationally acclaimed products are in the
offices and behind the bars of the most successful
hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and hot spots
worldwide.

Maintaining a positive work environment is essential
to reducing turnover and achieving optimum
productivity. It only stands to reason that if you
create a conducive working environment your
employees will enjoy coming to work and wont want
to leave to work elsewhere.

When a bartender leaves your staff, his or her
departure will likely weaken the business. It may
not be appreciated at the time, but invariably, when
an experienced employee leaves a service-oriented
business the enterprise suffers as a result.

Bartender turnover is a costly occurrence, certainly
something to be avoided whenever possible. When a
bartender leaves your staff, the beverage operation
loses the benefit of the on-the-job training youve
invested in the employee, as well as, all of the
expertise and experience the individual was able to
accrue at the position. You must then begin the
selection process anew; applications, interviews,
paperwork, and training shifts. At the end of the
process, the operation must suffer with the new
employees inefficiency.

These costs do not take into consideration the
increase in management supervision necessary to
ensure the employee is adequately trained. It is
also reasonable to assume that the bartenders
departure will negatively impact staff morale,
customers perceptions and gross sales.

One key aspect to reducing turnover behind the bar
is to create a positive working environment.
Negative pressures and stress can be cumulative in
effect and rapidly deteriorate the staffs attitude
and professionalism. This inevitably leads to job
burnout and turnover. When bartenders and servers
stop caring about their on-the-job performance the
clientele are the first to suffer, followed closely
by the operation as a whole. Without a positive
attitude, a bartenders productivity can be expected
to drop and liquor cost, spillage and waste to increase.

Creating a positive work environment is essential in
reducing turnover and requires managers to use
restraint, patience and fairness when dealing with
their employees. The following are some proactive
suggestions on how to reduce bartender turnover
while creating a positive work environment:

SOLICIT FEEDBACK Bartenders are the
resident experts on nearly every subject involving
the running of the beverage operation. They are at
the point-of-sale of nearly every transaction. They
possess firsthand knowledge on how the clientele
reacts to your operations prices, products and
promotions, and knows how they compare with your
direct competitors. Soliciting their feedback on
relevant matters will help create a sense of
involvement among the staff while tapping into their
cumulative experience and knowledge.

MANAGE BY EXAMPLE Employees are not
managed. Objects are managed people are led.
Managing by example is an essential form of
leadership. A manager who voluntarily gets behind
the bar during a frantically busy shift is an
illustration of an individual managing by example.
Leadership is a dynamic and effective means of
creating a stable, positive working environment.

HELP BARTENDERS EARN MORE MONEY
Ensuring that your bartenders are earning a livable
income is clearly in your best interest. The more
money your staff is capable of earning the less
impetus there will be for any one of them to leave.
In addition, the more money your bartenders are
earning, the less likely it is that they will risk
stealing from the bar.

Management can play an active role in helping
the bartending staff earn more by ensuring that
servers and cocktail waitresses tip-out to the bar
and the bar receives an equitable share of the
gratuities earned on transfers to the dining room. A
portion of a bartending meeting could be allocated
to exchanging ideas on how to increase tips.

WORK DEMANDS It is in your best
interest to remove any impediments preventing your
bartenders from carrying out their job description.
For example, bartenders are often required to
provide beverage service to patrons seated at the
cocktail tables. When business is brisk, it is
extremely difficult to wait on the customers at the
bar, fill drink orders for servers and still provide
hospitable service to patrons seated in the lounge.
The more difficult it is for the staff to perform
their assigned duties the more hassled theyll be
and the more likely they will fall victim to job
burn-out.

KEEP THE STAFF CHALLENEGED
Professionalism is an ambitious objective, one not
easily achieved. Instill within your bartending
staff a desire to excel at their position.
Continually challenging your bartenders is
motivating and will help to stave off on-the-job
burn-out.

PROVIDE SUPPORT It is important for the
staff to know that you will provide them with
immediate support and backing when dealing with the
drinking public. In situations where the bartender
is forced to refuse further service of alcohol to a
patron, it makes it easier to exercise that
obligation when your bartenders know they have your
full support and assistance. It is crucial that the
refusal of service be handled correctly. It is also
important that employees maintain their trust in
management.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS Do you have employees
who are assigned certain tasks or responsibilities
that could be better fulfilled by another? For
instance, in some establishments bartenders are
expected to wait on customers, make drinks for
servers, wash glassware, answer the phone and be the
cashier for the operation. When it gets busy,
they're overwhelmed.

KEEP THE FACILITY CLEAN How clean is
your bar? If you had to think about your answer too
long, your bar is likely not nearly clean enough.
Working a dirty bar erodes staff professionalism.
The mind set quickly develops that if no one cares
enough to maintain the sanitary standards of the
bar, than why should anything else really matter?
Discipline all but disappears, the incidence of
theft begins to increase and all other standards
begin to deteriorate. Keeping the bar spotless is
not just a matter of protecting the public health
and passing health inspections, it also keeps the
bartenders focused on maintaining their
professionalism.

Proven Strategies for the On-Premise Operator

This may be the best resource guide ever written for
controlling, managing and operating a beverage
operation profitably.

Covering virtually every aspect of a beverage
operation, Robert Plotkin has left no stone
unturned. From analyzing bartender and server
productivity to explaining how to use pour cost
formulas to increase profits, it is a guide that
anyone can use to increase their profits, reduce
their costs and understand how to do it in a
step-by-step format.

Plotkin's experience has allowed him to
carefully analyze all aspects of running a beverage
operation, whether in a restaurant, hotel or
nightclub, and apply the controls and systems
necessary to generate profit from the business. This
all new book is based on methods operators have used
nationwide to cut thousands of dollars off their
operating costs, reduce theft, and increase their
sales in percentages that reach into double digits.

Included in the book's 24 information-packed
chapters are; maintaining health code standards
behind the bar, establishing pouring procedures,
analyzing the beverage operation, implementing
safe-guards to protect inventory, conducting market
research, the mathematics of profit, standards in
bar design for efficiency of movement, and even how
to select well liquor. This is a complete guide of
strategies, formulas and steps to reach beverage
management success. Make the most of your beverage
operation and order today!

Well I'm thanking everyone for their contributions
this year, I can't forget Niclas at Plymouth Gin.
New to the newsletter, we hope that the recipes
continue to flow next year. Here's to another fine
recipe to close out the year.

Cheers Niclas!

Pom Star

50 ml Plymouth Gin

50 ml Pomegranate Juice

50 ml Passion Fruit Juice

Fill a glass with ice. Add the Plymouth Gin and top
with equal parts of pomegranate and passion fruit
juice. Squeeze and add the lime. Stir and garnish
with a Quarter of Passion Fruit and a Mint Sprig.

More recipes for our December recipe blitz. Layton
and Nicole (lot's of Nicoles in this industry) over
at Qorvis
represent a plethora of brands. They've
teamed up to give us the following recipes to
lighten up the festive season. Let's hope more come
our way in the new year!

Thanks you two!

Frostini

1 part Starbucks Coffee Liqueur

1 part Starbucks Cream Liqueur

part DeKuyper Peppermint Schnapps

Shake and strain into martini glass. Garnish with a
mint sprig.

Kentucky Mulled Cider

1 cup Maker's Mark Bourbon

4 cups Apple cider

1 thinly sliced lemon with rind

6 cloves

tsp. ground allspice

2 small sticks of cinnamon

Heat to boiling and serve.

Please visit our sponsor
BarStore
offers a wide selection of products to stock your
bar. From the latest trends to the tried and true.

The onslaught continues... Recipes from Castle Brands

As I was planning this newsletter I thought to
myself, "self what do people come to our site for?"
Recipes of course. So out went the word and as the
submissions came in, the ball started to roll.

Then out of the blue came Roseann from Castle
Brands. How could I refuse adding more to the
newslettter? So, in the spirit of the holiday
coming up, Merry Christmas.

I hope Santa is good to Roseann and that she'll be
good to all of us with more fine offerings!

Gingerbread Martini

2 1/2 oz. Boru Orange

1 oz. Monin Gingerbread Syrup

Prior to mixing this cocktail, take equal parts of
raw cane sugar and graham cracker crumbs and mix
them together on a small plate. In a separate
saucer, take a little Monin Gingerbread Syrup and
use that to wet the rim of the martini glass. Next,
dip the rim into your sugar and graham cracker mix
so that the rim is evenly coated. Finally, shake
the Boru Orange and 1 oz. of Monin with ice and
strain.

Dreamy Winter Delight

2 oz. Brady's Irish Cream

Splash Celtic Crossing Liqueur

Hot Chocolate

Pour straight into a warm mug and fill with hot
chocolate. Garnish with whip cream.

Soiree

3/4 oz. Pallini Limonchello

4 1/2 oz. Brut Champagne

3/4 oz. Pomegranate Juice

Serve chilled in a champagne flute with a lemon
twist for garnish.

Snowflake

1 1/2 oz. Celtic Crossing Liqueur

1 1/2 oz. Frangelico

1 1/2 oz. half and half

Shake with ice until a good froth has developed.
Strain into a martini glass and garnish with almond
slices and nutmeg on top of the froth.